My Favorite Key Lime Cheesecake Recipes

KEY LIME CHEESECAKE I

Steps:

• Combine cookie or graham cracker crumbs with butter or margarine. Press into bottom and partially up sides of 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
• In a large bowl, beat with an electric mixer the cream cheese, sugar, lime peel, and cornstarch until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, blending just until smooth. Add key lime juice with mixer on low. Finish mixing by hand. Do not over beat, or cake will crack during baking. Pour batter into prepared crust.
• Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 55 to 65 minutes, or until set. To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan half full of hot water on lower rack during baking.
• Turn oven off, and let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes with the door open at least 4 inches. Remove from oven. Refrigerate cake overnight, and up to three days.

KEY LIME CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Adjust the oven rack to the center position, with a lower oven rack in place for the water bath described in step 5, and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
• If your graham crackers aren't crumbs yet, use a food processor to pulse them into fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter until combined. Mixture will be sandy. Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. No need to grease the pan first. I use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust down tightly. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the lime juice, sour cream, vanilla extract, and lime zest then beat on medium-high speed until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools, avoid over-mixing the batter as best you can.
• Pour cheesecake batter into warm crust. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smooth it into an even layer.
• Boil a kettle or pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. Place a large metal baking or roasting pan (I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan-do not use glass) on the bottom rack of the preheated oven. Pour boiling water into pan, about 1 inch deep. Immediately place the cheesecake on the center rack. Close oven to trap the steam inside. This unique water bath adds steam to the oven without having the cheesecake sit inside the water itself, which is the traditional water bath method explained in the recipe Notes.
• (Note: if you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking.) Bake cheesecake for 55-70 minutes or until the center is almost set. When it's done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven as it cools down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, then cool cheesecake completely at room temperature. Then refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Add optional toppings if desired. I used a piping tip for the pictured whipped cream. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.
• Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY KEY LIME CHEESECAKE--MY VERSION

Steps:

• In 9 or 10 inch springform pan, combine crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar. Press evenly over bottom of pan and halfway up sides. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes, no longer.
• Cream room temperature cream cheese well, add sugar, and cream until smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl frequently to integrate any cream cheese lumps. Cream in sour cream, eggs, flour and vanilla. When smooth once more, stir in lime juice. Note: 3/4 Cup of Key Lime juice makes a very tart cheesecake. If you prefer a less tart cheesecake, start with 1/3 cup and increase to taste.
• Pour over prepared crust. Return to 375 oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 250 and continue baking 50 minutes for 10 inch pan, 55 minutes for 9 inch pan. Cool on wire rack IN PAN for 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edge to loosen cheesecake, but do NOT remove from pan. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. May be garnished with sweetened whipped cream, lime zest, or both.

SUNSET KEY LIME CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• FOR THE CRUST: Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Lightly grease the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with butter. Do not grease the sides of the pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with foil to prevent leakage. In a food processor, fitted with the steel blade attachment, pulverize the graham craham crackers into crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix with a rubber spatula. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom of the springform pan, reaching all the way to the sides so it forms a seal against leakage. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and cook whle you make the filling; lower the heat to 325F.
• FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING: With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes or until soft and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds between additions to make sure each one is thoroughy incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, with a rubber spatula and beat for a minute longer. With the machine running, slowly beat in in the half-and-half and then 2 tablespoons Key lime juice. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cheesecake mixture to which you should add the remaining Key lime juice and transfer this to a liquid measuring cup or pitcher.
• FOR THE CAKE: Pour the cheesecake mixtue over the baked crust, then por a thin stream of Key Lime-boosted cheesecake mixture over the top and scatter the grated lime zest over that. With a toothpick or wooden skewer, swirl the Key lime mixture and zest into the batter the way you would marbelize a cake. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the mixture is set; the cake will appear to be jiggly, but will firm up upon standing.
• TO SERVE: Remove the cake from the oven and place on a rack ro cool to room temperature in the pan. Unlock the springform and remove the cake, but leave the cake on the bottom of the pan. . Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving or before attempting to remove the cake from the springform bottom.